Beat the credit crunch and the British weather by enjoying kids’ free days out this summer! - Tuesday, 4 August 2009

A special event to mark the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s historic moon landing is just one of the free events at Fort Nelson this summer to keep the kids out of mischief.

With the Met Office finally admitting that it’s unlikely to be a “barbecue summer”, parents looking for free and stimulating events to entertain their children can be sure of a warm welcome at the Fort – come rain or shine!

Entrance to the Royal Armouries Museum is free and families can either eat in the Fort’s café or enjoy a picnic, complete with spectacular views.
The programme – which runs every Tuesday and Thursday during the summer break – includes new events such as The Eagle has Landed on Thursday, August 13. To mark the 40th anniversary year of Neil Armstrong’s historic moon landing, kids can meet an astronaut, fire water rockets and find out how Second World War missile artillery started the space race.

There’s also a varied programme of children’s favourites, including Commando Kids, Pirates Ahoy and Gladiator School. All the children’s events include optional craft events where kids can get busy with paper, card, glitter and glue to create unique toys to take home. A nominal charge of £2 applies to cover the cost of materials.

The remaining summer programme runs as follows:

Tuesday, August 11 – Knight School

Thursday, Aug 13 – The Eagle has Landed

Tuesday, Aug 18 – Spy School

Thursday, Aug 20 – Gladiator School

Tuesday, Aug 25 – Hunting Hawks and Creepy Crawlies

Thursday, Aug 27 – Commando Kids

Tuesday, Sept 1 – Pirates Ahoy!

...ENDS...

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Notes to editors

The Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson houses the national collection of historic cannon and big guns. The museum houses one of the world’s finest collections with over 350 cannon dating back over 600 years. The collection originated at HM Tower of London and has been on display in Hampshire since 1995.

The Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson also tells the story of the Palmerston Forts, built to protect Portsmouth from a feared French invasion in the 1860’s.

Every day, visitors can see one of the big guns fired in salute, watch our resident actors bring to life characters from 1,000 years of history, explore secret underground tunnels and enjoy incredible views from the ramparts. An extensive programme of special event spectaculars takes place throughout the year.

Fort Nelson is open every day except 24-26 December. April to October 10am –5pm (Wed 11am-5pm), November – March 10.30am – 4pm (Wed 11.30-4pm).